Our little guy :)

Here's a picture of his face.


You can see his spine here.


His little feet are crossed. He must be comfy!!

I know, I know, it's hard to really decipher what ultrasound pictures are actually showing you. But hopefully you'll be able to pick out his face, spine and little feet!! We were very excited to get these pictures and to find out that he's doing well. However, he's a little bit stubborn and wouldn't work with the ultrasound technician, so we have to go back next month for another ultrasound so she can look at him from some different angles. We don't mind getting even more pictures though!!

We're Having A...

As I'm sure none of you will be surprised to hear, my family is a little on the dramatic side. So, since Steph & Casey and Brandon & I found out what we're having on the same day, we had a balloon ceremony to announce the results of the ultrasound. Each couple had a blue balloon and a pink balloon and on the count of three we each held up the appropriately colored balloon to announce the gender of our babies. As you can see from the picture, we're both having baby boys!! We even had a pre-balloon ceremony ceremony, where Evan got to put in his prediction for what we were having. He had a blue balloon and a pink balloon, and he was able to release the color that signified his guess - a pink balloon if it was two girls, a blue balloon if it was two boys and both if it was a boy and a girl. It turns out he's psychic because he only released the blue balloon :) It was a great way to announce our big news to each other, and we thought it would be a great way to announce it to you too. Thanks for sharing our excitement with us!!

Mandy <><

Balance - What's That?

Why do embarrassing things only happen in front of an audience? I mean, when I fell off the stage in high school, that was in front of a bunch of people. Or when I thought I was cool enough to "hop" over a deck railing in 8th grade, but instead fell on my head, it was in front of my entire class. And tonight, when I slipped on the ice getting out of the Explorer, it was at my new church in front of a complete stranger.

I have gone all winter without falling on the ice. Which is quite a feat for two reasons. Number one, we've had a fair amount of ice and snow so far this winter. And number two, because I'm incredibly clumsy. So, all the times I waddled at an arthritic grandmother's pace across the ice and snow to get to work, I never fell - because no one was watching. I've decided that's the key, it's embarrassing enough to lose your balance and fall, but it's even more embarrassing to have an audience. And my inner clumsy self has figured this out, and plotted against me. Working very hard to keep my balance at all times when I'm alone, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to embarrass me to the full extent.

Here's what happened. I pulled into a parking space at our new church. It was snowy, so I was driving the Explorer, which is much higher off the ground than my Honda. I opened the door and was mentally congratulating myself on parking in the lines when I put my foot down on what appeared to be harmless blacktop. But alas, I was wrong. Since the Explorer is higher, it's a little harder for me to get in and out anyway, you know, since I'm short. So adding that to the slippery black ice factor, I lost my footing, slid around trying desperately to catch my balance, failed miserably and was down for the count. I think I did a double slide, slid once, tried to catch myself, flailed limbs wildly, and slid again. Luckily I fell on my backside, so there was plenty of padding. Unfortunately, as I was exiting the vehicle in such an amusing manner a lady had pulled in behind me, with her headlights shining brightly, spotlighting the moment in all its glory. If only I could have popped up quickly and said "Ta da!!" But I'm not that quick these days :) She got out of her car and asked if I was all right. I said something really intelligent like, "I didn't think it would be that slippery." And I waddled into church behind her. My inner clumsy self wins again.

Mandy <><

Pregnancy Hormones, The Continuing Saga

You would think I would learn. As I mentioned in a previous post, country music has recently had an interesting effect on me. Bringing tears when they are least expected. But what did I ask for for Christmas? Brad Paisley CD's. And I got two. Throwing all caution to the wind, I popped one in my CD player on the way to work the other day, and what do you think happened?? "Little Moments" started playing, and I started thinking about how Brandon and my's relationship is kind of like the couple in the song, and before I know it, my eyes are leaking. Not just little tears that I can blink back, but full grown splashing down my cheeks kind of tears. And I knew that my nose must be glowing bright red, and I was only a few minutes away from work, what kind of explanation could I give? Nothing sounds normal. "I was just listening to a song, and it made me think about my husband, and I started to cry." That's ridiculous!! Luckily I didn't run into my employers until my nose was no longer neon red, and my eyes weren't puffy.

But I did realize that part of why I cry at love songs is because they make me realize how good I have it with Brandon. (Warning: This may become sappy, so if you need a kleenex, go ahead and get one.) I mean, I am a really lucky girl! I have married a man who loves me with all of his heart. Who laughs at my jokes, even when they're not funny. Who loves the Lord. A man who is willing to pull over at the side of the road to watch fireworks and sing patriotic songs together. Someone who is strong and gentle. I realized the other day that I fit just perfectly under his chin. Brandon is an honest, responsible, trustworthy gentleman. This man, I am honored to call my husband. And I am so looking forward to raising our children together. I tell you what, the next time you're feeling irritated because your spouse didn't put the dishes in the dishwasher, turn on a country love song and reflect on how good you really have it. Brad Paisley just might be the marriage counseling you need. Ok, can someone pass me a tissue, my eyes are leaking again :)

Mandy <><

Renovations

Before...



After!!

My remodeling dream team (Brandon, Casey and Dad) tiled the once barren basement entryway. Now we have a great alcove for the washer and dryer, making laundry much easier. We only have a few more steps until the basement is done!! However, those steps are: finish painting, tile the kitchen downstairs, carpet the living area, and clean out the junk. So it might take longer than I'm thinking to actually get it all done...
Mandy <><

Pregnant Belly

My cousin Sherry suggested I take pictures of my belly each month. So here's January's picture (I'm 19 weeks along). If I'm this size now, I'm a little bit worried about how big I'll end up...
Mandy <><

Smith Family Christmas

Grandpa Bob. Isn't he cute!!



Jonathan and Amanda :)



Grandma Betty has started giving out quilts she's made each year at Christmas. This year Rachel, Alicia and Amanda all won quilts. Aren't they beautiful?




We spent our Christmas this year with Brandon's side of the family. We were able to spend some time with our grandparents and cousins at the farm in Liberal, MO, with our grandma in Nevada, MO and we spent time with friends and family in Kansas City, MO. It was a lot of fun!! We came home to a whole bunch of snow!! God was really watching out for us and gave us great weather coming and going. It was a blessing to be able to spend Christmas with family!!

Carbone Family Christmas

We had a gift exchange at Mom and Dad's a week or so before Christmas. It was fun to all get together to celebrate!

The Big Game!!

The boys got tickets to the Chiefs-Broncos game for Christmas, so here they are getting ready to head out. Obviously, Brandon was the odd man out :) Unfortuneately, the Chiefs didn't win, but they still had fun!!

Evan's First Birthday!!

We enjoyed celebrating Evan's first birthday way back in October. (I know, I know, I'm not keeping up very well.) We thought these pictures were too cute to not post!!